Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

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Collection

Art and Geography Teacher's Book, Undated

1 volume

This volume, which may have belonged to a Scottish teacher, contains pencil drawings of everyday objects and notes related to instruction in art and geography.

This volume, which may have belonged to a Scottish teacher, has pebbled covers, with the title "Sketch Book" stamped in gold on the front. The first section, "Specimen course for Second Year Higher Grade," contains 6 pages of pencil drawings. The subjects include books, plants, household items, a shoe, a water tank, an umbrella, a broom, a basket, and a hand. The final page of drawings includes the note: "Complete course with interiors & outdoor work."

The second part of the volume is a 2-page chart titled "Geography. Scheme of Work," with tables of geographical subjects for students at various levels. Each month's course included the study of a country or geographical region, a "practical" subject, and a "physical" subject. The areas represented are primarily European nations; British colonies such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and India; North and South America; Asia, and Pacific islands. The teacher offered practical instruction in navigational concepts, the use and creation of maps, and surveying, and offered instruction on various geological topics such as the Earth's atmosphere, climate, and physical features such as volcanoes and glaciers.

Collection

Cletus Setley sketchbook, [Civil War Era]

1 volume

As a youth, Cletus Setley of Reading, Pennsylvania, kept this 31-page sketchbook around the period of the American Civil War. He created pencil doodles, pencil sketches, and pencil and watercolor illustrations of people, ships, caricatures (including anthropomorphic creatures), and a possible story narrative. One page is headed "1864 Members of Company," including Cletus Setley and other names organized by military rank. The volume has brown leather wrappers, and the cover reads, "No. 1 Meredith Henderson & Co."

As a youth, Cletus Setley of Reading, Pennsylvania, kept this 31-page sketchbook around the period of the American Civil War. He created pencil doodles, pencil sketches, and pencil and watercolor illustrations of people, ships, caricatures (including anthropomorphic creatures), and a possible story narrative. One page is headed "1864 Members of Company," including Cletus Setley and other names organized by military rank. The volume has brown leather wrappers, and the cover reads, "No. 1 Meredith Henderson & Co."

Drawings include:
  • Woman doing laundry/ holding washtub
  • A person on horseback
  • A building [bearing a similarity to John Setley's storefront]
  • Woman holding a key next to a door marked "East," beside a small anthropomorphized quadruped
  • Male performer or dandy
  • Red and blue block text, "UNION"
  • Ships in the shape of a horse, with men holding spears and shields
  • Hunter aiming a gun at a stag
  • Hunters shooting at elephants
  • American sailing ships
  • People and anthropomorphic creatures
  • Man fleeing from dark-skinned persons armed with spears and other weapons
  • Shipwrecks
  • A lifeboat
  • A storefront with a sign reading "JOHN SETLEY" listing flour, seed, and other dry goods
  • Sidewheel steamboat
  • One page of caricatures, anthropomorphic beings, women, witches, and devils
  • Self-portrait, "The names of my valentines Squirt irish women & the Laundry women & to a Zouvave [Zouave] stingy man & the gallent [?]ing the [queshten?] grocer & long shanks"
  • Self-portrait and building
  • Sketch of a woman with a pipe in her teeth, labelled "IRISH WOMAN". On the same page is a pencil sketch of what may be a quilt block design.
  • Performers, possibly for a circus or side-show

A few of the pencil and watercolor illustrations appear to relate to a story of hunters, possibly in Africa, their encounters with indigenous peoples, and a subsequent shipwreck.

Collection

Martha Louise Day self-portraits album, [circa 1878]

1 volume

This album, belonging to Martha Louise "Mattie" Day, contains 26 self-portraits drawn by Mattie's "C. H. S." classmates, and includes profile drawings, names, and brief comments relating to a shared experience.

This album, belonging to Martha Louise "Mattie" Day, contains 26 self-portraits drawn by Mattie's "C. H. S." classmates, and includes profile drawings, names, and brief comments relating to a shared experience.

Mattie wrote, "You are requested to draw your picture, with appropriate remarks" on the front paste-down. The bulk of the drawings were done by her female classmates, and their writing often referenced memories involving Mattie. Some made self-deprecating remarks about their appearances. "A. H." wrote, "When this you see/don't forget the eve we played and I beat you all at dominoes." Adilia H. wrote, "The rose is red/the violet blue/sugar is sweet/and so are you Mattie. Ever your friend." Many include the note, "Class '78 C.H.S." One pink ribbon is laid into the volume.

Collection

Pond family drawings, [ca. 1880s]

0.25 linear feet

The collection consists of hand-made sketchbooks and loose sheets of paper featuring drawings likely made by children Edith, Jennie, and Theodore Pond while residing in Syria (present-day Lebanon) with their missionary parents, Theodore S. Pond and Julia Pond. Prominent imagery depicted includes domestic scenes, women and children at work and play, and women tending to the sick. The Ponds rarely specified locations in their drawings, and while they may have been generic or imagined scenes some may have been made to reflect the Pond family's residence or experience while in Syria (present-day Lebanon).

The collection consists of hand-made sketchbooks and loose sheets of paper featuring drawings likely made by children Edith, Jennie, and Theodore Pond while residing in Syria (present-day Lebanon) with their missionary parents, Theodore S. Pond and Julia Pond. Prominent imagery depicted includes domestic scenes, women and children at work and play, and women tending to the sick. The Ponds rarely specified locations in their drawings, and while they may have been generic or imagined scenes some may have been made to reflect the Pond family's residence or experience while in Syria (present-day Lebanon).

The bulk of the drawings were done in pencil, but several were made using pen and ink, pen and wash, and pastels. A large portion of the images depict interior domestic scenes of women and young girls reading, sewing, dining, visiting, sleeping, and at play with toys in parlors, living rooms, and bedrooms. These drawings include details like clothing, accessories, furniture, and decorations. Several show women wearing the Christian cross as jewelry, head coverings or veils, and chopines (a platformed shoe), possibly representing adherents of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Several of the drawings feature women at work doing tasks like cooking, sewing, washing dishes or floors, sweeping, gardening, tending to the ill, or bathing children. Older women are represented alongside middle-aged women, young girls, and infants. Adult men and young boys appear occasionally in the scenes.

Several illustrations appear to show women laboring as domestic servants, and at least four of these images represent dark-skinned women. One additional drawing shows a family scene with three dark-skinned women knitting or resting in a hammock.

Outdoor scenes are also represented, showing women and children walking and travelling in the streets, playing games, visiting the beach, riding horses, shopping, sleighing, or picking fruit. One drawing depicts a family standing beside a sphinx with pyramids in the background. Other locales outside of the home are also featured, including a store, a church, a theater, a photographer's studio, and possibly a school.

Miscellaneous other topics were drawn, such as angels, Grecian women, a dream, a centaur statue, a shield with an American crest, and two singing girls who appear to be impoverished.

Only two of the drawings were signed, both landscapes by Theodore H. Pond, one dated 1882 shows a building in the countryside and the other depicts a village street scene leading towards a church. Two other unsigned landscapes are also present, one labelled "St. Augustines Canterbury." Two other illustrations -- one a portrait of a young woman and the other an interior scene with four children blowing bubbles-- have the name "Edith" inscribed with ink on the verso. Several of the drawings were labelled by a child in block letters. One of the drawings was made on a sheet of paper that had previously been used to write notes on the Letters of Paul.

The drawings were enclosed in an Upsala College envelope labeled: "'Drawings of Edith & Elsie Pond when they were little girls in Syria.' (Be Sure To Save These)"

Collection

Famous Boxers manuscript, [ca. 1830s]

1 volume

This manuscript contains detailed descriptions of boxing matches, biographical information about prominent boxers, and related poetry, portraits, and illustrations, primarily concerning the sport's history in England during the early 1800s.

This 546-page manuscript contains information on boxing and boxers in the early 19th century. Approximately 512 pages include detailed descriptions of boxing matches and biographies of prominent boxers, with an additional 27 pages devoted to boxing- related poetry. A 7-page index of names, matches, illustrations, and poetry finalizes the volume.

The round-by-round descriptions of matches provide details about the combatants and their movements, locations of the fights, histories of the participants, physical states of the fighters after the bouts, and prizes awarded. The biographies vary in length and are occasionally accompanied by portrait illustrations of the men in everyday or formal attire. English and American boxers are represented, including some African Americans. Additional drawings depict boxing matches and trophies.

Collection

Providence (R.I.) Pen-and-Ink caricatures, [19th century]

1 volume

This nineteenth-century album contains 46 once-bound pen-and-ink caricatures on heavy card stock, each card with or formerly with metal eyelets on one short edge. A pencil inscription at the back of the volume reads, "Mr. Albert L. Briggs, Providence, RI," and internal references to Providence, Rhode Island, further suggests that either Briggs or another local resident may have produced the artwork. The figures represented in the volume vary widely and some are more sympathetic or more disparaging than others. The illustrator relied heavily on exaggerated features, stereotypes, and jokes directed at people's physical appearance to provide social commentary especially on race, ethnicity, gender, and class.

This nineteenth-century album contains 46 once-bound pen-and-ink caricatures on heavy card stock, each card with or formerly with metal eyelets on one short edge. A pencil inscription at the back of the volume reads, "Mr. Albert L. Briggs, Providence, RI," and internal references to Providence, Rhode Island, further suggests that either Briggs or another local resident may have produced the artwork. The figures represented in the volume vary widely and some are more sympathetic or more disparaging than others. The illustrator relied heavily on exaggerated features, stereotypes, and jokes directed at people's physical appearance to provide especially social commentary on race, ethnicity, gender, and class.

At least seven of the illustrations relate to women, including drawings referring to women's rights and various women's roles as mothers, performers, physicians, and cooks. One, labelled "What is home without a mother," may be a reference to a song by the same name published in 1854, and it features a woman with a monstrous face. Another titled "HANNAH LONG" depicts a woman peddling "Quaker Bitters" (probably the Providence, Rhode Island, patent medicine by that name) and may be referring to Hannah Longshore (1819-1901), who graduated from the first class of the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1851.

Many of the caricatures focus on impoverished or working class people, showing individuals in tattered clothing or in lower-paying professions such as a farmer, a shoeshine, and a seeming gravedigger. A number of illustrations depict men in various stages of intoxication or alcoholism. Forms of social disorder are highlighted in caricatures of a convict and of a knife-wielding murderer labelled "THE MAN THAT KILLED JOHN GILPIN." Commentary on physical and mental disability are also represented, in drawings of a mentally ill man labelled "Luny" and a man with unaligned eyes and feet labelled "On exhibition."

Other caricatures reflect racial, ethnic, and religious stereotypes. Two racist caricatures depict African Americans, including one of a Black Congressman and one of an Uncle Remus character. Another caricature depicts a recent immigrant, while two are anti-Semitic (those labeled "The Torturer" and "NAME IT"). Two figures depict high religious figures, from Catholic or Orthodox Christian churches; one wears a robe, a fur-brimmed mitre, and snowshoes. The word "KAMSCHASA" is written near the bottom of the robe, likely referring to the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia.

Other caricatures highlight people based on their height, weight, profession (such as a king, a knight, an editor, a lecturer), or social posturing. For example, attitudes like dignity, contentment, nosiness, and bashfulness are spotlighted. Others appear more innocuous, such as illustrations of someone reading the morning newspaper and another of someone taking "Rush's Pills," but underlying subtexts for many of the images likely have additional meaning.

Collection

Joe Sanford diary, 1949

1 volume

Joe Sanford of Stockton, California, summarized his weekend activities for the year 1949 in this typed diary. He traveled to various places in northern California, took camping trips with friends, participated in outdoor activities, and attended dances and plays. Some entries reflect racial tensions in Stockton.

Joe Sanford of Stockton, California, summarized his weekend activities for the year 1949 in this typed diary (134 pages). The diary's frontispiece is a poem by Nick Kenny entitled "Youth."

Though he occasionally mentioned his schoolwork and grades, Sanford wrote most frequently about his social life and leisure activities, almost all of which involved his friend Glenn. They and other friends went camping, attended theatrical performances (often at the College of the Pacific) and dances, and participated in outdoor activities throughout the year. Sanford traveled around northern California, writing about trips with friends and family to Mount Diablo (April 1949), Yosemite National Park (June 1949), Santa Cruz (July 1949), and the "Old Hearst Ranch" (August 1949). He played saxophone in the school marching band and briefly participated in the Sea Scouts during the summer. Some entries refer directly or indirectly to Mexican and African-American residents of Stockton, including Sanford's attempts to communicate with persons who "spoke Mexican" and the presence of African Americans at a December school dance. Some clipped images of locations that Sanford visited and unidentified individuals participating in fishing and similar outdoor activities are pasted into the volume. Sanford's diary also contains pencil sketches of a man painting on a ladder, a birthday cake, and other subjects. A program from a school talent show is also pasted in.

Collection

Russell G. Schlagal letters, 1944-1946

0.75 linear feet

Online
This collection is made up of letters that Lieutenant Russell G. Schlagal wrote to his wife Margery while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Schlagal discussed his experiences in India and on the island of Tinian, and he often illustrated his letters with ink sketches and watercolor paintings.

This collection is made up of letters that Lieutenant Russell G. Schlagal wrote to his wife Margery while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Schlagal discussed his experiences in India and on the island of Tinian, and he often illustrated his letters with ink sketches and watercolor paintings.

Russell G. Schlagal regularly wrote letters home to Margery, who remained in Dayton, Ohio, during the war. He responded to news of family members and acquaintances, and shared his love for Margery. Most letters concern Schlagal's daily experiences with the 28th Air Service Group in India (December 1944-April 1945) and on the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands (June 1945-March 1946). In India, he occasionally mentioned his encounters with local residents, and he described the wildlife, the scenery, and local customs. He frequently attended USO shows and movies. Schlagal later discussed his life on Tinian, where he remained until the spring of 1946. He continued to attend performances and films, and also participated in underwater sightseeing. After the end of the war, Schlagal wrote about the possibility and timing of his return home.

Schlagal illustrated some of his letters with ink sketches, ink drawings, and watercolor paintings. These depict buildings, objects, and scenery from India and Tinian. Occasionally, he used stationery with pre-printed scenes, and his letter of December 29, 1945, has a manuscript map of Tinian. On February 24, 1946, Schlagal composed a partially pictographic letter about his anticipated return home. He alternated words with pictures of animals, his wife, himself, and the island of Tinian.

Collection

Ralph L. McElderry papers, 1942-1945 (majority within 1944-1945)

0.5 linear feet

The Ralph L. McElderry papers are made up largely of the outgoing correspondence of Sgt. McElderry during his World War II service in the 3226th Ordnance Depot Company and 421st Ordnance Evacuation Company. His stateside training, work as a stock clerk and typist, and service as a Supply Noncommissioned Officer in Europe are reflected in his letters as well as supporting documents.

The Ralph L. McElderry papers are made up 224 outgoing letters of Sgt. McElderry during his World War II service in the 3226th Ordnance Depot Company and 421st Ordnance Evacuation Company, plus three drawings by Maria McElderry for her father while he was away, 11 documents, and four war ration books.

Ralph L. McElderry's Correspondence is about his everyday life during his stateside training, work as a stock clerk and typist, and service as a Supply Noncommissioned Officer in Europe.

Ralph L. McElderry wrote from the following locations:

  • Fort Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma, between March 9 and 17, 1944 (2 letters)
  • Camp Maxey, Paris, Texas, March 22-June 28, 1944 (17 letters)
  • Camp Van Doren, Centreville, Mississippi, July 6 or 7-October 4, 1944 (25 letters)
  • Camp Polk, Leesville, Louisiana, October 6, 1944-February 13, 1945 (42 letters)
  • Camp Kilmer, New Jersey—Point of Embarkation, February 25, 1945 (1 letter)
  • At Sea, March 3-6, 1945 (4 letters)
  • France, March 13, 1945-April 10, 1945 (19 letters)
  • Belgium, April 12, 1945 (1 letter)
  • Germany, April 13, 1945-June 12, 1945 (43 letters)
  • France, Camp Brooklyn, June 15, 1945-July 18, 1945 (9 letters)
  • France, San Francisco, July 18, 1945-August 2, 1945 (8 letters)
  • France, Delta Base near Marseilles, August 8, 1945-October 19, 1945 (42 letters)

The Marcia McElderry Drawings include three illustrations she drew and colored for her father while he was away in the service. One depicts a house beside four trees and a truck driving on a road; one is labeled by an adult as being a sergeant marching in his uniform beside mud and grass; and the third is a duck with a helmet on.

The Documents series includes the order for him to report for induction (September 20, 1943); his identity, education, and immunization verification, a commissary card, and papers related to his discharge in November 1945.

The four War Ration Books belonged to Iola, Andrea, and Marcia McElderry. Each of them contains remaining stamps.

Collection

Katharine Prest scrapbook, 1930-1954 (majority within 1941-1945)

1 volume

This scrapbook contains correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera related to the soldiers' canteen that Katharine G. Prest hosted at her home in Lancaster, Massachusetts, between June 1941 and August 1945.

This scrapbook contains around 120 pages of correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera related to the soldiers' canteen that Katharine G. Prest hosted at her home in Lancaster, Massachusetts, between June 1941 and August 1945.

Soldiers stationed throughout the United States and in both major theaters of war frequently wrote to Prest, expressing their gratitude for her hospitality and sometimes reporting on their experiences after leaving Massachusetts; soldiers' wives and mothers occasionally thanked Prest as well. Emily J. Nichols, who worked for the American Red Cross at Fort Devens, corresponded with Prest about upcoming events for wounded men. The servicemen sent manuscript letters, V-mail letters, postcards, and Christmas cards. Many of the postcards include cartoons and other illustrations, most frequently regarding military life. Snapshots and formal portraits show groups of young men and women relaxing at the Prests' home, often near the pool, and soldiers in uniform at various locations.

Prest collected newspaper clippings about her wartime activities and about the war, particularly related to soldiers' experiences in the European Theater. Some clippings include photographs of Prest. The scrapbook contains a small number of printed programs, song lyrics, insignia patches, and a pin from the 101st Cavalry Regiment. One page consists of several soldiers' drawings, including a caricature of Adolf Hitler with target values printed on various parts of his body. A colored illustration commemorating the 101st Cavalry Regiment and several portraits of unidentified individuals are drawn directly into the volume. Later items include awards and certificates of thanks that Prest received from various organizations (undated, WWII era), an award celebrating her commitment to fighting cancer (1951), and a birth announcement (written on a photograph) (January 25, 1954).

Two items pre-date United States involvement in the war: a 1930 group photograph of the "Lawyer's Club" (including William M. Preston), and a 1940 book entitled Yuletide in Many Lands.